ALL-COUNTY GIRLS BASKETBALL: Blissfield’s Gilbert named Coach of the Year

Wednesday

Mar 26, 2014 at 3:00 PM

By Doug DonnellyDaily Telegram Special Writer

Blissfield girls basketball coach Ryan Gilbert coaches in June the same way he coaches from December to March. He brings the same energy and passion to the court whether it is a summer workout or a district championship game.

“You can’t ask for a better coach,” said his star pupil, All-Stater Claire Denecker. “He’s done so much for me. He’s worked with me and put so much time in.”

Gilbert was named Class C Co-Coach of the Year this month by the Associated Press, and after Blissfield's storybook season, he has won the Lenawee County Coach of the Year honor.

Gilbert didn’t grow up yearning to be a basketball coach. The idea was floated to him soon after accepting a teaching job at Blissfield. The 2001 Sand Creek graduate had played prep basketball for the Aggies and was an All-Tri-County Conference golfer. He went on to golf at Adrian College.

Soon after becoming the elementary physical education teacher at Blissfield, he was asked if he wanted to coach the junior varsity girls basketball team.

“I guess I thought I would like to coach,” Gilbert said. “When I was asked I said, ‘Sure, I’ll try it.’ ”

Royals fans are certainly glad he did.

Gilbert led Blissfield to a 21-1 record this past season, including the program's first Lenawee County Athletic Association title since the 1990s. The Royals reached the Class C quarterfinals after climbing to the No. 1 state ranking.

“We just kept moving up and some teams in front of us lost,” Gilbert said. “When we were ranked No. 1, it was really a ‘wow’ moment just because that doesn’t happen to a team in Lenawee County very often. It was awesome to get there, then be able to stay there through the regular season. It’s only a ranking, but it’s something the girls can hang their hat on. We definitely wanted to finish the season No. 1.”

Blissfield not only was up to the challenge, it took the ranking in stride. As the wins piled up, Gilbert said, the girls gained confidence.

“Sometimes the most I did was make sure the bus got there on time,” he said. “The girls did everything else. The leadership we had this year was huge.”

Gilbert did have to shape that talent, however. He started with Denecker, the premier player in the county, and surrounded her with an outstanding defensive team with the likes of Emma Essen and Sara Goetz. Freshman Kelsey Wyman joined the starting unit immediately.

“She’s played a ton of AAU basketball,” Gilbert said. “I had brought her in prior to the season, knowing she would be our point guard. She just took it from there. She picked up on anything and everything we did.”

Denecker had been a big scorer and rebounder for the 2012-13 Royals. Although her numbers dipped slightly in 2013-14, she continued to get better.

“We had a lot of talent,” Gilbert said. “You don’t win 21 games and not have a lot of talent.”

The Royals won a district title in 2013 and came back hungrier. Gilbert said the team played about 50 games during the summer, playing in a league, playing scrimmages and going to the Adrian team camp. The focus on the offseason was playing games, not necessarily the individual workouts.

“We played more than normal,” Gilbert said. “We took two days to go over things and started playing games after that. We didn’t do a lot of the individual workouts that we sometimes do. This group needed to just get out and play.”

With Denecker graduating, Gilbert expects a different team in 2014-15.

“The thing that concerns me is whether or not we will have the leadership we had,” he said. “We’ll be talented. We’ll adjust to the team we have, so we’ll look different. But, we will have the same philosophy. Defense will still be our No. 1 priority.”

Gilbert is married to Sand Creek graduate Danielle Cox. They have two children, ages 3 and 1. The second child was born during district week last year. His uncle is Charlie Risner, one of the most successful coaches in Lenawee County history.